Co-habitation is Key
by pieuvregeante
Summary: Set after 2x07 Oliver has to learn to face a new attitude towards Felicity. His feelings towards her are brought to light when she becomes involved with Barry Allen. All characters owned by CW and DC Comics.
1. Chapter 1

She could feel him standing just behind her, the heat rolling off him, making the hairs on her neck stand up. Felicity tried to concentrate on Oliver's face, she watched him closely, trying to read his mind. Suddenly the Count's hands were on her shoulders and her eyes snapped shut, skin crawling. The hands move around to her neck and one clasps over her nose and mouth, she can't breathe or scream, she desperately tries to fight. Somehow the restraints on her wrists vanish and she opens her eyes. She claws at the hand on her shoulder and lurches sideways out of the chair.

"Felicity! Felicity!" Someone's calling to her. She falls to the ground and the hands take a strong grip on her upper arms. She looks up and is met by familiar blue eyes.

"Oliver?" she asked breathlessly. She looks around and after a few moments realises what happened. She was at the foundry and Oliver was kneeling in front of her, one of his hands cupping the side of her face.

"Oh. I fell asleep?" she asked, a little dazed, Oliver helps her to her feet.

"What?" Felicity asks when he doesn't let go of her arm.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, you just startled me. I don't remember falling asleep" she said.

"Are you getting any sleep at home?" he asked.

"Yeah, same as usual" she lied. It's been 3 weeks since the Count kidnapped her.

"Felicity…"

"Oliver, please. I know I've been a little jumpy but, come on, I'll get over it."

"You're having nightmares now too. I know you're lying about how much sleep you're getting, this is the second time one of us has found you like this" he said. A similar thing had happened with Diggle the week before.

"This isn't the first time something like this has happened, I've gotten into trouble before and I'm always fine" Felicity explained, she moved past him to the desk and started collecting her belongings that were sprawled out in front of the screens.

"This was different" he says, almost pleadingly "I wasn't there when he grabbed you. He could have killed you, he almost did-"

"I don't need to be reminded, Oliver, just because you feel guilty" she snapped at him. They stood in a tense silence; Felicity had never spoken to him like that before and the distance between them suddenly felt greater.

"Sorry" She started again "I know you're just worried about me, but I don't know what you want me to do. I'm trying to deal with what happened the best way I can, it's just going to take awhile. It wasn't your fault, I shouldn't have gone out there without back up."

"I am worried. I just-" he stopped, trying to find the words. "I want you to know that you can talk to me about this stuff. Diggle too. We're a team and we're here for you, always"

"Yeah 'cause you two are always so open about you're feelings" She said sarcastically and the two couldn't help but smile at each other. Felicity collected her bag and made to leave before stopping at Oliver's side. She placed a light kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you" she said gently before continuing up the stairs towards the car park. Oliver watched her leave, absent-mindedly touching his cheek.

A few days later, the three of them were all in the foundry, Dig and Oliver, sparring on the mat while Felicity was busy collecting as much information as she could in regards to the recent bank robbery.

"I just can't see how they pulled it off" she said throwing her hands up in exasperation. Dig and Oliver patted each other on the back before joining Felicity by the screens.

"Have the cops made any progress?" Diggle asked from behind her right shoulder.

"I've been looking through their case files and they seem to be as clueless as us"

"They brought that Allen guy in so they obviously need help" Oliver added.

"Barry" She corrected him. "Hopefully he can make a break in the case, he's actually quite intelligent, impressive credentials for his age. Not to mention handsome… tall..." her voice trailed off.

"That's funny, Oliver and I were just talking about how handsome and tall he was earlier" Diggle responded. Felicity cracked a smile.

"You're observational abilities never cease to impress Diggle" Oliver said in a serious tone. "Maybe we should get back to the bank robbery?"

After another hour or so of searching the three of them still hadn't made any progress when Felicity's cell phone rang. She grabbed it and moved away from the desk before either of the guys could see who was calling.

"Barry, hi" she said breathlessly.

"How does he have her number already?" Oliver asked bitingly. Diggle just shrugged.

"Oh yeah, of course I know about the Gala, that was nice of him. I would love to!" she said excitedly. Oliver stood up to face her back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay, sounds great, I'll see you then!" Felicity hung up and turned back to them with a grin on her face, which vanished when she caught sight of Oliver.

"What?" she asked.

"What was that about?"

"Oh well you know the Gala at the museum this Friday? The Chief of Police invited Barry as a thank you for helping with the case and he just asked me to be his date. Not that it's any of your business."

"You think that's a good idea? I mean we don't even now this guy" he said.

"That's the idea of a date Oliver, to get to know someone" she replied.

"Well I don't think I trust him"

"What a surprise, Oliver Queen slash the Arrow has trust issues" Oliver hadn't relaxed his stance at all. "Okay, this is the first time I've been asked on a date in a really, _really_ long time so there's no way in hell I'm going to let you ruin it for me" she said, closing the distance between them.

"Alright as much as I'd like to see Felicity throw a punch, I think we need to cool down a little" Diggle said placing a hand on each of their shoulders "Can I suggest a compromise? Maybe Felicity can use the date to see what Allen has on the bank robbery, see if he's thought of something that's not in their case files?"

"That sounds like a good idea" Oliver agreed.

"No way, I'm not interrogating the poor guy on a date"

"Felicity, please" Diggle said still trying to maintain peace. Felicity hesitated for a long time before rolling her eyes and agreeing to the terms.

"Good" Diggle said, relieved.

"Good" Oliver repeated before adding "Diggle and I will of course be attending the event as well, you know, just in case"

"In case of what?!" Felicity said, outraged "He's not a criminal!"

"You don't know that" Oliver said with a smug mouth "besides Oliver Queen also received an invitation to the Gala along with the rest of the Queen family"

Felicity continued to glare at the two of them before snatching her bag from under the desk and storming up the stairs.

"One of these days she is going to hit you and I'm more than certain it will be well deserved" Diggle said once she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey everyone, thanks so much for the reviews and for reading my story, this is the first time I've shared something I've written so I'm glad people liked it. I'm trying to swap back and forth between Felicity and Oliver's perspective (in third person) so I apologise for any inconsistency! Enjoy!_

_All names and characters belong to CW and DC Comics, not me!_

Diggle pulled up to the museum with the Queen family in the back. Thea and Moira stepped out first. Oliver stayed in the car and watched as Moira paused for a few moments, readying herself before linking arms with Thea and marching up the steps, her head held high. Oliver couldn't help but smile at the similarity between the three of them. Pride was everything for the Queen family. He took a few moments to appreciate the scene. The Museum held this Gala every year, the people of Starling City who had too much money would gather to eat, drink and spend too much money on art they didn't particularly like. It was times like this when it occurred to Oliver how different he was, he used to think that owning lots of expensive things made him better than everyone else, now he knew it made no difference at all.

"I'll call Felicity" Oliver says pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket.

"Yeah she'll love that" Diggle says sarcastically from the driver seat.

"What?" Felicity answered after a few short rings.

"Hey, I was just making sure everything was OK, that you knew what the plan was for tonight" He said keeping his tone pleasant.

"There is no plan Oliver. I'm going on a date and at some point I'll try to see if he knows anything we don't about the robbery. This isn't mission" He could almost hear her eyes rolling. "Anything else?"

"Well no, but I-" He started but Felicity hung up before he could say anything.

"What happened?" Diggle asked when he saw Oliver putting his phone back.

"You were right, I probably shouldn't have called" Oliver said. He stepped out and waited on the steps for Diggle to park the car. When he returned the two men headed inside. The event was in full swing already, everybody dressed in their finest designer brands, eating, drinking and laughing. Again, Oliver noted how he used to feel like an outsider at these events and he could never figure out why. Now he knew he was an outsider but it didn't matter anymore. As the night drew on, Oliver had been making his rounds, circling the event and engaging in polite conversation with random high profile people. Isobel was at the Gala as well, studiously ignoring him, thankfully. He had hoped Isobel would see Felicity with Barry and give up the idea that she had earned her job through sex. As Oliver stationed himself by the bar once again to check on his assistant, he couldn't help but feel foolish for suggesting they be here. Felicity was right it was just a date, and she was free to do what she wanted in her private time. His mind began wandering with the idea of Felicity and Barry dating and a knot grew in his stomach. What if they became serious? He would have to keep his distance from them, out of respect, making it harder to protect her. Barry couldn't know about they spent their nights and although he hated the idea of Felicity dating someone, he did want her to be happy. On the other hand, she deserved to be with someone she could be completely honest with; she shouldn't have to lie about this part of her life like he did.

"_That leaves her dating options to Diggle and me"_ Oliver thought to himself. He stood alone with his mixed emotions, watching Felicity and Barry talking and laughing about something. Felicity was wearing a floor length dark blue satin gown with a low back; she looked as she always did at these events, breathtaking and like she belonged. He started to imagine what it would be like to fall in love with her, and for her to love him back. He couldn't ignore the chemistry they had and he often found himself watching her at work, her face and body language while she's concentrating. He adored this woman and always had. Oliver continued to let his mind wander before shaking his head, squeezing the bridge of his nose. This was dangerous territory; he was still learning to control his emotions and had been avoiding this topic all together. Since his return from the island, falling in love with someone was never a good idea and especially someone like Felicity. Laurel, the one night stands, they were safe. They didn't need to find out who Oliver really was, but Felicity knew, she knew him better than he did sometimes. She was the only woman, including his family, who he trusted with his secret. She was a wise choice, intelligent and loyal. He didn't want to jeopardise their relationship by acting like a jealous teenager.

"Oliver! There you are! I've been looking for you!" Thea's voice found him, he looked up and saw her making her way through crowd towards him. She seemed flustered.

"What's wrong? Are you OK?" He asked worriedly.

"Its mom, this is her first night out since… you know. She says she can't do it and wants to go home, she's waiting out the front with your driver"

"Uh, yeah… Okay. I just have to say goodbye to someone and I'll meet you at the car" he said before moving past her towards Felicity who was slow dancing with Barry.

"Excuse me, so sorry to interrupt but, Miss Smoak, I need a quick word with you" Oliver said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Whatever it is, Mr. Queen, I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow" Felicity replied coolly, while gently pushing his hand away.

"Well actually, Miss Smoak it's kind of urgent" he said not breaking eye contact.

"Oh, that's OK, Felicity, I can go get us some more drinks" Barry said before heading for the bar. The two of them looked at each other for a long moment.

"You look lovely by the way" Oliver tries.

"What do you want, Oliver? It had better be good" She says angrily, crossing her arms.

"Has Barry given you any insight into the robbery?" he asked her.

"No, has something happened?"

"No, no. It's my mother's first public event since she was acquitted and it looks like Dig and I will have to take her home, so I wanted to check if you have anything."

"Oh OK, Well I don't, so I guess I'll see you later."

"So… just call if anything comes up" He said slowly.

"Will do" She said before leaving him to meet Barry by the bar. Oliver turned to leave when he saw Barry lean in and kiss Felicity, his hands on her waist. He watched just long enough to see her hands reach up and cup Barry's face before he had to leave. Oliver was silent for the ride home and once Thea and their mother were inside he asked Diggle to drop him at Verdent, then go home. Diggle had the sense to not question it. An hour later Oliver was hooded up and patrolling the Glades, trying to think about anything other than Barry Allen's hands.


	3. Chapter 3

_I wanted to hold off on writing anymore of the story until the next episode comes out as I'd like it to correspond with the episode plotlines but I can't stop writing. The next chapter may pick up after they've solved the bank robbery case, as I don't want to make up my own story when the show already has one and I want to keep focus on Oliver and Felicity's feelings. Thanks again for the reviews, I hope you like this one!_

The next day Diggle and Felicity were alone in the foundry.

"So how was your date?" Diggle asked with genuine interest.

"Oh, you know, normal kind of normal date… night"

"Smooth" he said with a smirk. Felicity responded with a grin.

"Fine, if you must know, it was awesome. He's really funny and interesting, great kisser. God, it's just been so long since I've had a night out, let alone a date."

"Hmm, I had you pegged as a no-business-on-a-first-date kind of girl"

"Well these days I can't afford to have such high morals"

"If you too are done gossiping, perhaps we could try to catch a criminal" Oliver's voice appeared so suddenly it made Felicity jump.

"Wow, I did not even hear you come in!" she exclaimed with a hand over chest.

"An important part of being a vigilante, Felicity" he replied moving straight towards the pair, looking at the screens laid out in front of them "do we have anything new, a lead, a clue, something?"

"Not that I can see" Felicity responded.

"Did you and your date discuss the case at all last night?" Oliver asked Felicity.

"I did bring it up, but he's a cop so he couldn't really tell me anything" she replied with a shrug.

"Oliver, aren't you going to ask how Felicity's date was?" Diggle asked pointedly. Oliver turned to look at him slowly and inhaled through his nose before replying.

"I don't need to, I have it on pretty good authority that it went well"

"What? Whose authority?" Felicity interrupted.

"I saw him kiss you" he said turning his head to look down at her.

"Oh" she said looking back to the desk.

"Yeah and I've got to say, I didn't think you were the kind of girl to kiss on a first date" the sentence came out harsher than he'd meant it.

"Yeah, well I guess we can't all be as classy as sleeping with our opportunistic business partners in Russian hotels, can we?" She shot back.

"OK, this one's my fault. Don't poke the bear" Diggle said, mostly to himself "lets just get back to the case."

"Well if Felicity was a better kisser, maybe we'd have something more to go on" Oliver said. Felicity inhaled sharply like his words had cut her.

"Excuse me?!" Felicity asked, she rose out of her chair to her full height, forcing Oliver to do the same.

"I'm just saying, that it's pretty easy for a woman to get information from a man by-" his words were cut off by Felicity slapping him hard in the face. He took a step back in shock, it wasn't the first time he'd been slapped but the sting left on his cheek surprised him. Felicity's face was equal parts furious and stunned. Before either Diggle or Oliver could react she turned and practically ran up the stairs, Oliver looked at Diggle who threw his hands up and turned away.

"Felicity!" Oliver called after her before following her. He caught up just before she reached the back door leading to the car park.

"Felicity, I'm sorry, please wait" he pleaded. She stopped, keeping her back on him.

"I just didn't realise that part of my job description" she paused to turn and face him "involved whoring myself out for case information." She finished the words in a slow, controlled voice.

"It's not. I didn't-" he let the sentence drop off and sighed "I let my emotions get the better of me, I'm sorry."

"OK so, you can crawl into bed with whomever decides to throw themselves at you, but I so much as kiss a guy and you get to be whatever kind of asshole you want?" She asked. The two of them stood silent for a long time, unsure of each other.

"You know that I can't help worry about the people around me. I have a bad feeling about that guy. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I wouldn't worry about him, Oliver, you're doing a pretty good job of it yourself" without waiting for the response he didn't have, she turned and walked to her car. She managed to keep the tears back until she had started the drive home. How dare he. For the first time in so long she'd found someone who wasn't complicated. Someone who was open and friendly, basically perfect and didn't make her feel like hitting him most of the time.

_"So why the hell are you sitting in your car crying about Oliver Queen?"_ said the voice in the back of her head. She groaned loudly and dropped her forehead onto the steering wheel.

Felicity woke and was instantly greeted by a flood of memories from the night before. After calming herself down over Oliver, she called Barry and invited him over for a drink they didn't get around to. She smiled to herself before rolling over to see Barry still sleeping in the sheets next to her. As she climbed out of bed, throwing on a shirt and panties, and heading to the kitchen to make coffee, she thought about how out of character this was for her. She'd slapped Oliver, a first, and it was definitely the first time she'd behaved the way she had with Barry. The guys were right, she wasn't a prude but she didn't usually move so fast when it came to men. Part of her felt satisfied by the idea of Oliver finding out about last night and part of her was mad for caring what he thought.

"Morning" she heard from her left. Barry came into the kitchen and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"I like those pants" she said gesturing at the frog covered pyjama pants he'd found in her closet.

"Yeah, I should probably feel embarrassed by the fact that I can fit into a pair of your pants but firstly they're pyjamas so normal 'size' rules don't apply and secondly, I look fine as hell in frogs" he said in his usual relaxed tone.

"No argument here" she said with a smile, pushing the thought of Oliver out of her head as Barry leaned in to kiss her once more.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey everyone, thanks again for the reviews and for reading. Once again I'm going to wait till we see the next episode before I post another chapter as Felicity's relationship with Barry is an important part of my story and I want to see the original story unfold. I misread the episode information and thought the case for this episode was a bank robbery, as the actual case isn't particularly important in my story I'm not going to correct that error. Just so everyone knows, this is an Olicity story but I think that Barry and his interaction with Felicity are adorable. Enjoy!_

"Felicity, could I talk to you for a minute? In my office" Oliver said from his door. Without a word Felicity stood and walked past him, she stopped in front of his desk while he walked around to the other side and faced her. Neither of them took a seat. It had been two days since their argument and both of them had avoided talking about anything other than work or the bank robbery, which in itself was enough to redirect their attention. Oliver had decided, with a push from Diggle, that it was time to broach the subject and clear the air. He had no idea if Barry and Felicity had continued to see each other and he was smart enough not to ask.

"I wanted to properly apologise for my behaviour these past few days. I've been feeling the strain, what with my mother returning to Queen Consolidated and…" he broke off and shook his head "there's no excuse. What you do in you're spare time is none of my business and I hope we can go back to being friends"

"Thank you Oliver, apology accepted and appreciated" Felicity said with a genuine smile. She turned and headed back to her own desk, smiling to herself; she had hated being so cold towards him the past few days but they needed to establish some boundaries. Apparently it had worked and she thought cheerfully about the evening to come, Barry had invited her out to dinner that night. Between that and the ceasefire with Oliver, it was looking like a much better day.

"Felicity, you look great" Barry said, standing as she approached the table to pull her chair out.

"Thanks, you too" she said with a grin "I'm glad you called"

"Yeah well, I obviously wanted to see you again, I had a really good time the other night" He returned to his seat and they blushed at each other across the table "I was surprised when you invited me over that night. But glad."

"Yeah. About that. I can assure you I'm not normally the kind of girl who sleeps with a guy after the first date, I'm not really sure what came over me" More blushing.

"Well that's kind of what I wanted tonight to be about." He paused for a few moments "Felicity, I wasn't expecting to meet someone like you while I was here, someone that I'd like so much and I certainly wasn't expecting things to move so quickly." He seemed to be readying himself for something and Felicity grew nervous. "I haven't been completely honest with you, about my interest in this case and why I came to Starling City."

"I knew there was something off about this kid, Digg. He's been lying to us, to Felicity" Oliver said in frustrated voice. Diggle had just told him the results of his search into Barry Allen.

"Judging someone for lying about who they are isn't really something you're in a position to do, Oliver" Diggle replied, Oliver shot him a sideways glare. "For all we know this kid has a perfectly good explanation for lying to us. I'm a pretty good judge of character, you know that, and I don't think he's a bad guy"

"Still, I think we need to confront him about this, before Felicity's feelings are hurt."

"Are you sure this is about her feelings, or are they about yours?" Oliver didn't respond; he was about to get his phone out to call Felicity when they heard the sound of her heels on the stairs.

"Oh, you two are down here for a change" She said.

"Felicity, we need to talk' she paused to look at him 'about… Barry." Felicity sighed and walked over to the desk to put down her bag. Then she turned to face the two of them.

"Shoot" she said. Oliver was surprised by her composure considering the last time they discussed Barry. His tone remained cautious.

"Well Digg did some research into the kid-"

"Under Oliver's request" Diggle interrupted, Oliver shot him another look. "Just wanted to make that clear" Diggle added, crossing his arms.

"Fine, I asked Diggle to look into him, as a precaution, and there's something you need to know."

"If this is about the fact that he came to Starling City to investigate the bank robbery without permission from his superiors, don't worry, I already know" She finished for him.

"Oh. He told you?"

"Yes, I actually just came from dinner with him" She replied.

"Did he say what he's really doing here?" Diggle asked.

"He thinks that whoever broke into the bank could help him find out who killed his mother"

"I thought it was his father? They convicted him for it" Diggle said curiously.

"Barry was there the night it happened, he said that what he saw was impossible, add to the fact that he was only eleven at the time and the cops just dismissed it as a lie he made up to protect his father. The circumstances around her death are inexplicable, much like this case, that's why he lied about coming here. His department doesn't even know about the robbery"

"Maybe they were right" Oliver said "Maybe he's lying to save his father."

"I might have said the same thing but with the circumstances regarding the recent break in" she paused for a minute before finishing "I believe him"

"Well I suppose it helps his case that you have feelings for him" Oliver said before turning away.

"Seriously Oliver, you're really going to lecture me about emotion clouding judgement?" She said. Oliver turned back and the two of them held eye contact for a moment before Felicity sighed and turned to Diggle.

"Digg could you excuse us? I need to talk to Oliver in private" Diggle grabbed his coat and headed upstairs without a word.

"Oliver we need to do something about this. If we're going to keep working together, we can't be at each other's throats all the time. When you made that speech earlier I thought you were past this"

"You think I'm jealous" he said. It wasn't a question.

"Not exactly. I think that trust isn't something that you can afford to take lightly. I think that because you've come to rely on me as a friend and an ally, the idea of me dating someone scares you because you think that it'll take me away from you." They were both silent for a while, Oliver marvelled at Felicity's understanding of him.

"I'm not like you Oliver; I can't put my life on hold for this crusade. You can't expect me to." Oliver sighed deeply

"I never wanted you to" He said quietly.

"I can see that things are changing between us, there's something here, but the vigilante is a part of who you are, and you can't walk away from it, not right now. And I can't sit down here night after night ignoring the world for you. I need to start living a life outside of this." She stopped at that and moved forwards to take Oliver's hands in hers before continuing "I love you, Oliver but I don't think I can wait for you to be ready for me." He exhaled and closed his eyes at her words. They fell silent once again; you could hear the dull thud of music coming from the club. Felicity released his hands and he opened his eyes.

"I'm going to take a break for a few days. From work and the vigilante business. When I come back on Monday we're going to act like everything's fine. I won't discuss my personal life with you and you won't ask." Felicity said, breaking the silence.

Oliver set his jaw and nodded, they stood together, lost in their own thoughts before Felicity went to her desk to get her bag and headed for the stairs.

"Felicity" Oliver said, she stopped with one foot on the bottom step "I love you too"

Without turning, Felicity continued up the stairs leaving Oliver alone with his thoughts. He sat down and dropped his head into his hands and tried to process what had just happened. Diggle found him like that not much later.

"So, are you going out there tonight?" Diggle asked. Oliver inhaled sharply and looked up at his friend.

"Yeah, Felicity left me information on this guys next target and I very much need to punch something."


	5. Chapter 5

_Just kidding! I was going to wait till the next episode but I decided that Barry's involvement in my story had run it's course. I came up with another plan for where this story could go and I'm going to run with it. This chapter is much longer than the previous ones and it's setting up the next part of the story. I've been reading other peoples Olicity fics and I saw a couple that were based around them investigating human trafficking, which is what inspired this chapter. I'm sorry for stealing ideas! Once again thanks for any and all reviews, I hope you like it!_

Oliver let out a loud groan as he opened his eyes. As he sat up, vivid memories from his dream were still bouncing around in his mind. The feel of her body through her thin satin gown, the taste of her lips on his tongue, it wasn't the first time he'd dreamt of her and it was getting harder to pretend he didn't recognise her long blonde hair or the sound of her sighing his name. He also avoided the realisation that he always had a much better night's sleep when having these dreams in place of dreaming about the island. With another groan he fell back onto his pillows, covering his face with one in a half-hearted attempt to smother himself to death.

"Morning" Oliver said as he entered the foundry an hour later. He was greeted with pleasant smiles from his partners. It had been a week since Oliver was poisoned and saved by Barry. The young CSI had to return to Central City not long after, to his dismay. Despite everything that had happened, Oliver had to admit that the kid had grown on him. He was a good guy after all, and it was hard to hate anything that made Felicity smile the way she did when he was around. Oliver forced himself to push away the disappointment he felt that Felicity didn't smile at him like that as much anymore. He had no idea if the two of them were staying in contact and to keep peace with his favourite IT girl, he wouldn't ask. Ultimately, it wasn't his business.

"What's the latest?" He asked as he removed his shirt and started on the Salmon Ladder.

"I'm following up on something, I'll let you know soon" was all Felicity said. The three of them maintained a comfortable silence while Oliver and Diggle moved through their workout and Felicity typed.

"OK, so I've been going through the police departments files, looking into a case" Felicity said an hour later. Oliver and Diggle finished up and joined her in front of the computers.

"You're hot" Felicity said to Oliver as he leaned over her to get a better look at the photo on one of the screens, she paused and looked up at amused faces. "Run. You run hot, I mean, you're giving off a lot of body heat" she said getting more flustered with each attempt. She closed her eyes and mouthed 'wow' to herself before continuing "I mean of course you are, you've been working out for the last hour and someone with a high metabolism like yours is bound to give off more body heat than others, for example blondes who sit in front of computers all day and haven't exercised in, well, ever-"

"Felicity" Oliver said gently, cutting off her rambling.

"Right" she said turning back to the screen. Oliver smiled to himself as he thought about all the times he'd noticed her body warmth.

"So this guy, Arthur Mutton, the police department believes he's involved in a human trafficking ring. A number of young girls have gone missing from the Glades in recent months, most of which come from families devastated by the quake or had no family on record to begin with. Girls the police wouldn't put too much effort into looking for, if you know what I mean" she said bitterly.

"What makes us think this Mutton guy is involved?" Diggle asked, his eyes hard.

"Well he owns a small courier company that sends shipments mostly to Russia and some parts of Southeast Asia. When I looked into the shipping records, there are a lot of holes in the paperwork. A certain lack of invoices detailing what the shipments are carrying, no record of the shipments arriving overseas. Basically, as soon as they leave the states, there's no follow up on what's happened to them. Add t hat to the fact that as soon as the local authorities look into any of this, the guy vanishes and shows up in another city, outside of their jurisdiction. I also have some evidence of him meeting with suspected traffickers both here and overseas. He's slippery, the police never seem to get a firm hold on him" she said in conclusion. Oliver exhaled deeply, and straightened up, rubbing a hand down his face. Diggle turned to face him, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"Human trafficking is pretty heavy. It'll be a big job and it's likely to get very messy" he said, always the voice of reason.

"Are you suggesting we do nothing?" Oliver asked though he already knew the answer.

"I'm just saying we need to be prepared; taking on a case like this is a big move. I've seen it first hand how ugly these things can get"

"Someone needs to help these girls, the police have certain limitations that we don't" Oliver responded. They were all silent as they individually considered the risks of what they could be getting in to.

"So what's the plan?" Diggle asked after a few minutes.

"There's a party being held this weekend by one of Starling City's elite, Mutton's supposed to be in attendance. I wonder if Oliver Queen can rustle up an invitation?"

"Whose party? My stock has plummeted in this town in recent months as you could imagine"

"The party is being held by a Mr. Carter Bowen, do you know him? It's some kind of humanitarian benefit fundraiser. Elitists sure seem to love a good fundraiser, don't they?" Felicity said turning to Diggle, who nodded in agreement. Oliver made a noise that seemed to be a mix between exasperation and disgust. Felicity and Diggle waited for an articulated response.

"It shouldn't be too hard to get us onto the guest list, Felicity you can be my date and Digg…"

"I'll think of something" he said saving Oliver the trouble.

"Great, so maybe if we could get a bug onto his cell somehow, we'll be able to monitor his calls and go from there?" Felicity suggested.

"Sounds like a plan, it seems I have a phone call to make" Oliver said, excusing himself.

That Saturday night, Diggle pulled up in front of Felicity's apartment building just as she stepped out on the sidewalk. He made to get out and open the door for her but Oliver beat him to it. The billionaire stepped out and held the door for his assistant. She smiled and gracefully climbed into the backseat. Oliver was no longer surprised at how beautiful Felicity was all dressed up but it didn't stop him from appreciating it.

"Miss Smoak, don't you look particularly lovely this evening" Diggle said, voicing Oliver's thoughts once more.

"Why thank you Mr. Diggle. I can only see the back of your head but I assume you look lovely as well" they smiled at each other in the rear view mirror before the car pulled into traffic. The event was taking place at one of the many spectacular mansions in Starling City, they pulled up and Oliver stepped out before lending Felicity his hand. Once they were out he offered her his elbow, which she accepted as the two of them made their way up the stairs and inside. The lavish interior of the house didn't have much affect on Oliver; he was used to it and had been in this very mansion many times before. The novelty however hadn't worn off Felicity; she let Oliver guide her through the entrance hall as she kept her eyes on the ceiling, taking in the decorations.

"Oliver!" A man's voice found it's way to them through the throng of people entering the building.

"Carter!" Oliver said mirroring the man's tone as the two of them greeted each other with a firm handshake "Thank you so much for having us"

"Oh nonsense, we're practically family!" Carter replied politely. Oliver fought the desire to roll his eyes at his falsity "besides the more the merrier, right? I hope you brought your chequebook!" he added with a hearty laugh. He then caught sight of someone else and excused himself.

"You two seem rather chummy" Felicity said once he'd left "though he didn't seem interested in meeting your date" she gestured at herself. Just as she looked past Oliver, she caught sight of Isobel just inside the main hall talking to an older couple.

"Looks like everyone's here" she said nodding in the woman's direction. Oliver followed her eye line before turning back to Felicity.

"Let's not lose sight of why we're here, shall we?" He said offering his elbow once more. The two of them did a few laps of the party, keeping an eye out for Mutton. Eventually they found themselves stationed near the dance floor, which was surprisingly busy.

"Care to dance m'lady?" Oliver asked once again offering his hand to Felicity. She smiled and took it as he led her into the loose crowd. They made sure to stay near enough to the entrance hall to keep an eye on the arriving parties. Oliver stopped and turned towards Felicity, taking her waist as she placed a hand on his shoulder. They started swaying slowly to the music and Oliver caught sight of Diggle who was posing as a waiter for the event and carrying a bottle of champagne. They nodded at each other before Diggle continued his surveillance. Oliver kept his head high and was scanning the room for any sign of their target. Even in heels Felicity wasn't tall enough to see over anyone so she let Oliver lead and waited patiently for their next move. A minute or so later she'd begun to forget why they were here in the first place.

"This is nice" she said and Oliver looked down at her face "ignoring the probably dangerous criminal we're here to spy on. I didn't know you could dance" Oliver smiled and in one fluid motion released Felicity's waist and twirled her around before pulling her back in and dipping her. She laughed breathlessly as they straightened up and continued swaying.

"I've been attending these events since I was 16 and forced into a cotillion. I know my way around a few dances." He said with a rare, genuine grin.

"I guess I have trouble picturing you as the billionaire playboy Ollie, I prefer this Oliver. I have a feeling I wouldn't have liked the old you"

"Well the old me would have liked you far too much. So I guess it's better we didn't now each other then" He agreed, they continued watching each others eyes in silence until Diggle's voice came through their earpieces.

"Our friend has just arrived" he said and Oliver looked back at the entrance hall, sure enough, Mutton was making his way in with a young brunette woman on his arm, flanked by two well-dressed bodyguards.

"Well Mr Queen, I think it's time to visit the bar don't you?" Felicity asked.

"Actually I have to use the restroom, if you'll excuse me" Oliver replied, they made sure their voices were loud enough to be caught by those nearby but not so loud as to draw attention to themselves. They split up, Oliver disappeared and Felicity headed to the bar where Mutton was currently lingering.

"Excuse me" she said softly placing a hand on the man's shoulder while discreetly slipping a bug under his collar. He turned to look at her and his red, chubby cheeks were held by a grin.

"Why hello, Love" he said in a thick British accent "which lad, was foolish enough to let you out of their sight" he said looking her up and down with lingering eyes. She smiled while accepting champagne from the tall, dark ex-marine behind the bar.

"Digg, you got eyes on her?" Oliver asked, hearing Mutton's tone through Felicity's tech.

"I can take care of myself" she said in response to the man's question but also for Oliver's benefit. She turned to leave while holding eye contact with Englishman and winking. She tried her best to sway her hips in case he was watching her leave. She was almost clear of hall on her way to meet Oliver upstairs when someone caught her elbow; she turned to see it was Isobel.

"Miss Smoak, I was hoping to catch you" She said, Felicity smiled pleasantly at the woman.

"Miss Rochev, how are you?" She asked, noting the woman's flushed cheeks and empty glass.

"Very well thank you, I was wondering if you managed to send through those documents I left on your desk yesterday?" Her tone was pleasant but Felicity didn't miss the underlying implication that this simple task might be too much for the blonde IT girl.

"Yes, I assure you it was taken care of" Felicity turned to leave again; Isobel stopped her.

"I see you're here with Oliver, isn't that nice? Of him to bring you along I mean. I imagine there is quite a list of women who'd be willing to accompany Mr. Queen."

"Mmm, yourself included, right Miss Rochev?" Felicity said. Isobel let the fake smile slide off her face.

"Be careful not to overstep your boundaries Miss Smoak" she said, unmistakable threat in her voice.

"I work for Oliver, not you" Felicity fired back, all pretence gone.

"Don't underestimate my hold over your beloved CEO" Isobel said moving close enough for Felicity to smell vodka and an empty stomach on her breath.

"You obviously don't know him very well if you think one night between your legs is enough to pull his strings"

"I suppose you've logged enough hours in his bed to know the difference" Isobel's words made Felicity want to spit acid.

"Ask around Isobel, Oliver is very popular with the women of Starling City, he never stays with them very long. If I were sleeping with him I can assure you he wouldn't be keeping me around" the words were out before she could stop them. She didn't mean them but she felt awful, knowing Oliver was listening.

"That's enough" she heard his voice in both her ears and realised he was standing right behind her, the two women glared at each other for a second more before Felicity allowed Oliver to guide her out into the hallway. They walked together in silence, Oliver keeping his grip on her upper arm as they headed upstairs to the room in which they'd set up surveillance. Once inside Oliver let go of her arm then turned back to shut the door.

"I'm sorry Oliver; I didn't really mean what I said. It's just that woman makes me see red every time she opens her mouth" Felicity said looking at his face to show it was the truth.

"You're opinion is very important to me Felicity, I hope you think more of me than that" was all he said.

"She thinks I got this job by sleeping with you, doesn't she?" Felicity asked. Oliver waited a minute with a clenched jaw then nodded. Felicity scoffed and shook her head, downing her champagne in one go and placing the glass on a nearby table.

"I knew this would happen when you asked me to be your assistant. I didn't even want this job!" she said exasperated. Just then Diggle entered the room with a smile on his face.

"That was interesting. I would have stepped in a second before you Oliver but I was going to wait for another slap" he said patting Felicity on the back "we've been a bad influence on this one"

"I'm sorry that I put you through this Felicity" Oliver said genuinely. Felicity relaxed a little.

"It's fine. I don't really care what that woman thinks of me. It's just frustrating." She put her purse down and sat in front of the laptop on the table.

"Let's hope we haven't missed any illegal activity with all the excitement." She said opening a program and connecting to the bug that was still on their target. "Well it looks like he's still at the bar" the three of them gathered around the computer to listen in. It was rather uneventful at first, they spent the first hour or so listening to the man grow steadily drunker. Finally he made a rather vulgar comment about Felicity or as he knew her, 'the-tight-assed-blonde' and Oliver spoke up.

"This is pointless, he's just a drunken idiot. What was tonight supposed to achieve?" He said, continuing his endless pacing.

"Look, as soon as he excuses himself, I'll corner him and slip my tech onto his phone. We also need to get this bug back before someone finds it. We don't want him to know someone's onto him" she explained unnecessarily. Oliver stopped pacing to look at her.

"How are you planning on getting to his phone?" he asked as it occurred to him that he might not like the answer.

"Uh, charm? Don't worry about it" she said with a wave of her hand. He was worried but managed not to say anything. Not too much later, they heard Mutton wave off his security to go to the bathroom. Without a word Felicity collected her purse and made for the door. Oliver stood rigid as she passed him, every instinct telling him to block her exit. The two men sat silently and waited for what was about to unfold. Felicity managed to swallow her misgivings and collected two glasses from a passing waiter. She had a small vial of the same tranquilizer Oliver used in his darts. She added two drops, enough to knock Mutton out for ten to fifteen minutes, to one of the glasses and waited near the bathroom till she saw Mutton come out.

"I've been looking for you" she said as she approached the man.

''Ello love" he said with a slur "I was hoping you'd find me again" he said putting a hand on her hip.

"I was wondering if you and I could go somewhere and get to know each other better?" Felicity surprised herself. She'd never considered herself sexy and she was never a smooth talker, far from it. It helped that Mutton was too drunk to notice her hands shaking. He let her guide him down the hall into what appeared to be a study, she handed him a glass and pushed him into a nearby armchair. To her relief he downed the drink in one gulp and passed out before she had time to do or say anything else.

"Uh, that was easier than I expected" she said mostly to herself.

"Is he out?" Diggle asked through her earpiece.

"Like a light" she answered as she removed her bug from under his collar and dug through his pocket for a phone. Once everything was in place she hovered over the unconscious man, not really sure what to do next when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. Mutton? Is everything alright?" asked a deep voice.

"Uh just a moment please" Felicity said sweetly. In a moment of inspiration she quickly undid his belt and pants and went to answer the door with one of her dress straps off her shoulder. She tried her best to look flustered and out of breath as she opened the door to see Mutton's two security guards. Their furrowed brows relaxed when they caught sight of her.

"I think he had a bit too much to drink or he maybe he couldn't handle the excitement" she said before slipping past them out of the room.

"Its done, I'll meet you outside" she whispered. Her hands were shaking worse than ever and she needed to put as much distance between her and Mutton as she could.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey guys! I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story. I've had a few people upset about her being with Barry in the beginning but I did say in the description that they were involved. Anyway we're starting to get into the deeper stuff between our two love birds so I hope you like it! Thanks again for the reviews!_

When Diggle and Oliver caught up to Felicity she was out the front of the mansion hugging herself.

"Hey, you OK?" Oliver asked her, placing a hand on her arm.

"Yeah, I just kind of wigged out about those security guards finding me. Then I started thinking about what Mutton does with those girls and-" her voice caught in her throat. Diggle placed a reassuring hand on her back then went to collect the car.

"You know I'd never let anything happen to you" Oliver said. She gave him a small smile and nodded, she was still hugging herself so Oliver removed his jacket and put it around her shoulders.

"Do you want us to take you home?" He asked her.

"No, I'd rather stay with you" Diggle pulled up in the car and they climbed into the back. Felicity pressed herself up to Oliver's side, it made him smile and he returned the gesture by putting his arm around her. The ride to the foundry was done in silence.

"OK, everything looks good, I'll have it record every conversation and hopefully we can get something on where he's set up, though it's unlikely he'll be up for anything tonight" Felicity said rather smugly. They were in the foundry, huddled around the screens as usual. Felicity was still wearing Oliver's jacket that was far too big for her shoulders; he had noticed but was in no hurry to get it back from her.

"Have we looked into any properties in Mutton's name?" Diggle asked.

"Do you really have so little faith in me Digg? He owns the lot his house is built on but there's nothing else in his name, not even a lease" She said.

"What about under the companies name?" Oliver wondered. Felicity gave him a look that asked 'do I look like an idiot?' and he looked away.

"Look, I've dug up as much information as I can online about this company and it's really not much. I told you guys he's slippery, I found a short list of employees who don't seem to exist and there's no record of any delivery trucks or vans"

"OK well like you said, he wont be up for much tonight so we might as well call it" Oliver said. The other two nodded in agreement.

"I see Miss Smoak isn't in today" Isobel remarked with fake interest as she walked into Oliver's office.

"Uh yeah, no. She has the stomach flu or something like that, didn't sound very good on the phone this morning" Oliver replied. She was actually at the foundry; without a clue about the next 'shipment' going out or even how many girls they had, Felicity had decided to log some hours trying to get anything she could on Mutton's movements; also known as stomach flu, if anyone asked.

"Do you think you can handle getting your own coffee or sending your own faxes for the day?" Isobel asked with a smug attitude. Oliver gave a tight-lipped smile in return without answering. He found it impossible to get a read on this woman, he assumed her hostility towards Felicity stemmed from her belief that she'd climbed the corporate ladder by sleeping with the CEO; yet she had been more than happy to do so herself. He chalked it up to one of the many things he would never understand about women.

"Is there something I can do for you Isobel?" he asked.

"I've got some investment proposals I was hoping you could look over this afternoon and get back to me" she said waving the documents in her hand before placing them on his desk and walking out of his office with another confusing smirk. He stared into empty space for a few moments, instantly forgetting about the proposals in front of him as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Caller ID indicated it was Felicity.

"What have you got?" he asked skipping the unnecessary pleasantries.

"I've got a lead, you'll be needing your hood tonight" she said. Without a word he hung up and swiftly left his office.

"Tell me" he said twenty minutes later as he and Diggle moved to join the IT girl by her screens in the foundry.

"I'll spare you the details, but he made a call from his office in Starling City, he's meeting his men where they keep the girls this evening. It sounds like they'll be moving them in the next few days. They're 'getting everything ready' I don't even want to know what they mean by that" she said in a forced, steady tone.

"If I have anything to say about it, we won't have to" Oliver said as he moved over to prepare his bow and quiver.

"I'm using the bug to track his phone, I'll give you a shout out when he leaves his office though I imagine they'll be waiting till it gets dark" she paused for a second "not to detract from the seriousness of the situation but have you noticed how many of our crusades take place at night?" no one answered. For hours they waited, Oliver, busied himself with various workouts as he always did when there was nothing else to do, he didn't do well with sitting still or waiting. Diggle alternated between pacing and brooding. Felicity tried to concentrate on her computers but the conversations she'd overheard kept creeping into her mind. They hadn't really gone into detail, which seemed to be worse, her imagination filled in the gaps. The atmosphere had the familiar feeling of tension and anticipation. You'd think that the drama filled, adrenaline pumping moments would be the moments that bonded these three people; but whenever any of them thought back on these days, their days as vigilantes, they'd remember the comfortable silences, the hours of waiting and wondering and worrying. That is, after all, what they spent most of their time doing and it was starting to feel like home.

"Guys" Felicity said finally, as she raised the volume of the voice coming through their speakers. They could hear Mutton's unmistakeable accent speaking to another voice they didn't know. Mutton was informing his colleague that he was on his way. Oliver grabbed his equipment while Diggle loaded his guns, the two of them headed up the stairs.

"Stay in contact, I'll feed you their positions" Felicity called after them. It wasn't long before the two men caught up to Mutton's car, Oliver on his bike and Diggle in a car, they tailed the black town car at an inconspicuous distance, following it into an unfamiliar part of the Glades. Eventually Oliver abandoned his bike to follow on foot, there were very few vehicles around and someone engaging in suspicious activity would undoubtedly notice a tail at this point. After over a year of being the Arrow, Oliver could do this on autopilot. Sneak in to the building undetected, kill the power, take out the guards. It was easy, second nature he'd done it so many times before. He tuned back in when he had Mutton cowering on the floor, begging for his life, they always begged, as if they somehow deserved mercy. Diggle came in then, he went a head to find the girls, they were locked up somewhere in the building. Oliver considered putting an arrow in Mutton's heart; he could hear the whimpering of the girls as they were startled by Diggles approach. After a war in his own heart, he settled on putting two arrows in the man, one in his shoulder and one through his knee. Once it was done he joined Diggle, who'd already called in the police.

"We should get going Oliver, the police are on their way"

"We should stay" he said without missing a beat "these girls have been left unprotected for too long" Diggle didn't say anything, he didn't need to. They stood there, either side of the doorway, until sirens and flashing lights filled the air.

He stood hunched over; his head hanging over his arrows. Felicity slowly approached him, placing her hands over his shoulder blades, then laying her forehead between them. They were still for a minute. He sniffed loudly and straightened to his full height. Felicity took a step back.

"Oliver.." she said calmly.

"Felicity, you shouldn't be here, you should be at home" he said through heavy breathing. Diggle had gone home alone, it was the kind of thing that didn't need explaining. Oliver might have gone home too but he didn't want to see Thea yet, he couldn't think about her with out picturing her in that room, dirty, shrivelled and bruised like the others. So he went to the foundry, he knew Felicity would still be there and he felt she was the only one he could bare to be around right now. She was watching him sadly, after a brief hesitation she moved forwards and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. For a moment Oliver didn't react, then he pulled his hood off and embraced Felicity, resting his cheek on her hair. Her warmth helped him focus, made him think of things other than the battered girls.

"Shhh" she said soothingly and he realised he was crying. He didn't know how long they stood together, he didn't care. He felt like he could stay forever.

"Well, well, isn't this touching" a voice said from near the stairs. In one swift motion Oliver had shoved Felicity behind him out of harms way. His reflexes were lightning and he recognised the accent the second he heard it.

"Mutton" he said, his voice quaking with rage. The Englishman had a gun pointed at him, Oliver looked over the bloodstain on his shoulder and uneven stance, he wasn't putting any weight on his right leg.

"Turns out I'm harder to stop that we thought 'ey? I crawled out before the coppers came, followed you back 'ere. Figured I owed you a bullet in the skull" he moved towards Oliver with the gun still raised as he spoke. A mistake. Oliver moved quickly to disarm him, while underestimating the older man who managed to get the upper hand, he put Oliver in a head lock, with a knife at his throat.

"Don't you dare!" Felicity shouted.

They looked up and saw her standing a few feet away with a gun pointed at them, her hands visibly shaking.

"Come now love, let's not do anything rash, we all know you 'aint got the stones" Mutton said, his voice was honey that made Oliver's stomach turn. He tried to throw him off and felt the cold steel from the knife break through skin on his throat. There was a gunshot and Oliver felt the man's grip slacken before he fell to the floor with a loud thud. Oliver rolled sideways away from him and placed a hand on his throat, feeling his hot, sticky blood.

"Oliver" he heard Felicity's shaking voice behind him. He turned to look at her, she was leaning over Muttons body, her hands on the bullet wound.

"I can't- I can't stop the b-bleeding" she said through hysterical breathing. Oliver knew he was as good as dead but Felicity seemed unable to accept it.

"Felicity, Felicity look at me!" he said moving back to her and cupping her face with his blood free hand "It's OK, it's over. You saved my life" he was maintaining eye contact but she looked down at her blood covered hands and started crying.

"Shh, shh it's OK, we'll clean you up, you're OK, you're alright" he helped her to her feet and led her to the bathroom, placing her hands under the running faucet, the warm water turned red before it disappeared down the drain. She sniffed loudly and Oliver looked over at her, quiet tears were still running down her cheeks leaving them soaked. He felt something pull in his chest at the sight.

"Hey" he said gently and waited for her to look up. He studied her face for moments before leaning in and placing his lips over hers. They both stood stunned before their brains caught up. It was only a second before Felicity pushed back, gingerly putting her hands on his chest while he cupped her face like he had so many times before. Then they were a mass of tongues, lips and teeth, grabbing and pulling at each other. It felt like forever and no time at all before they finally broke apart resting their foreheads together and catching their breath. Oliver rapped his fingers in her hair, feeling its softness. Standing there, pressed against Oliver's solid form made Felicity feel like she never had before. Ignoring the blood in the sink and the dead body downstairs, she felt calmer than she had in a long time.

"Wait, here" Oliver said finally, he stroked her face before leaving her alone. He had to take care of Mutton's body; he didn't want her to have to see it again.


End file.
